BenQ W1070 Home Theater Projector Review

January 6, 2013 - Tony Arrigo

The Very Bottom Line on the W1070 projector

Almost every projector has some real strengths. And every projector can be improved upon.

At today”s consumer technology level, my personal take is that the BenQ W1070 is the best projector (with 3D capability under $1100), that I’ve encountered. True, you can spend more and find projectors that are just as great values. There are definitely other fine projectors, all at least a little more that I respect, that I also praise, such as the Panasonic PT-AR100U, the Epson Home Cinema 3020, the Acer H9500BD, BenQ’s own W7000, Optoma HD33. Some of those have more features. A couple have better blacks. None mentioned, I think, can match this BenQ’s shadow detail, and not one calibrates to a better balanced picture in terms of color.

The warranty’s nothing to write home about, but one year is what most of the competition offers, as well. There are a couple of two’s and two three year warranties that I can think of, under $1600, but only one or two multi-year warranties around $1000 (in a 1080p projector). The light leakage is more than most, and might be a noticeable issue in a dedicated home theater, but I’m sure not going to worry about it in a family room.

It’s the picture folks. I talk about natural image. This W1070 isn’t that natural as described, because I almost exclusively used it with Brilliant Color On. Most folks will prefer it on, unless in a really dark room, thanks to the roughly 50% increase in brightness that results. In that really dark room you won’t need all the brightness, and it’s where you are more likely to notice the minor downsides of Brilliant Color. Turn BC off, and calibrate the BenQ with it off (something we didn’t) and this W1070 likely has a really phenomenal image with that true DLP “look and feel”.

I only wish its black level performance produced blacker night scenes. But then that’s the stuff of mostly $2500 and up projectors.

In summary, on both Blu-ray disc and HDTV, the color is accurate and the picture easy to watch. It’s rather forgiving overall. When it comes to the “wow factor”, it should blow away all your friends.

This BenQ W1070 has a great picture for the bucks, and is as solid a value as I think you can find without spending a good deal more, and I’m not just talking a hundred or two. Hey, it’s cute too!